𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝓯 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓
┈┈┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈┈┈
"Eomma!"
Springing onto the truck's bodywork, Cheong-San brushes past you so hurriedly that your hand falls from its resting place on his shoulder, practically bowling you over inadvertently, deluging rain pelting unforgivingly above you.
Nam-Ra rebalances you as On-Jo hastily grabs him by the arm, striving to pull him back down behind the cover of the vehicle's cab with much struggle.
"Cheong-San, no!" On-Jo whisper-yells as he flails in her grip, ultimately sinking to the ground, shaken up.
You eye him in concern before your gaze shifts to the undercarriage, Dae-Su and Joon-Yeong wedged mid-wriggle.
"Who are we supposed to stop?" Turning to Nam-Ra, she's just as lost as you are. To scream out a warning is the equivalent of surrendering, no doubt magnetizing proximate zombies, but to remain silent is the equivalent of murder, sending your friends to their untimely deaths.
Dae-Su's loud groans from exertion resounds even through the downpour, in conjunction with clinks from the metal pole he drags haphazardly, scraping against the ground. Due to lack of a timely caveat, he reaches the other side in no time at all. "Oh shi—" Dae-Su splutters, weapon clattering with a noisy clang as he drops it in alarm. "What the hell?!" His body slams into the edge of the flatbed, attempting to get far away from Mrs. Lee as much as possible, catching sight of her limbs twisting abnormally. At the next flash of lightning, it illuminates her mutilated face, drawing nearer to him by the second. "Fuck! There's one zombie here!"
Cheong-San drags his body up to peek, legs wobbling upon forcing himself to stand. What's supposed to be an aggrieved cry erupting from the depths of his heart turns into an airless, desperate plea. "Stop it. Don't hurt my mom."
In the meantime, Joon-Yeong has also traversed to the side Dae-Su is on, scrabbling to offer his help in wrestling Mrs. Lee to the ground. Without a second thought, Dae-Su clubs her severely on the top of her head, vying for survival. A grotesque crunching sound echoes, followed by another, and another, in an endless loop.
For every hit, Cheong-San weeps shriller. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"
"Wait!" You jolt forward, merely managing to grasp his ankle before he gives you the slip, hurdling over the tail end to the scene of action, irrational in his maddened state.
"Cheong-San, what are you doing?!" Joon-Yeong goes to yank him off as Cheong-San straddles Dae-Su, punching in succession without desire to concede. Not aware of the situation, Dae-Su succumbs to being pummeled, scarcely able to shield his face behind his raised arms.
"You son of a bitch!" Other belligerent expletives tumble from Cheong-San's mouth, in tandem with his tears.
Unable to watch any further, you're about to run around the vehicle when Nam-Ra tugs you back by the elbow, solemn. "The longer they fight, the more that zombies will come here."
"That's why we have to stop them."
Nam-Ra releases your arm with a nod and follows, the two of you rounding on the group still tussling in the barren parking lot.
Wu-Jin brandishes a hefty ligneous stick, rearing it over his head prior to swinging it down stiffly at Mrs. Lee, sending her sprawling as the wood splinters, Joon-Yeong mimicking his actions with the rod cell Dae-Su left behind.
Eventually, Dae-Su succeeds in heaving Cheong-San to the gravel, Su-Hyeok dashing over to hold him back in case he goes into a rampage again.
"That's enough!" you pull Wu-Jin away whilst Nam-Ra advances to impede Joon-Yeong, Mrs. Lee too weak of a zombie to retaliate as she convulses facedown from the recurrent blows. Wu-Jin looks down at your hold on his arm before flitting his eyes back up, confused. "Shouldn't we be attacking these creatures, not letting them go?"
"She's not—"
You don't get a chance to finish explaining as On-Jo drags you along over to where Su-Hyeok is tightening his restricting grip around Cheong-San.
"Let go!" Cheong-San roars furiously, thrashing against Su-Hyeok with all his might. "Get the fuck off me!" Even when he elbows the taller boy, it's useless.
The group gradually gathers around just as you and On-Jo flock to Cheong-San's side when he sinks to his knees, repeatedly calling out to his mom, nothing but a lost child.
You catch Nam-Ra's eyes and she understands the indication, leading the other girls and boys to the neighboring hill afore coming back to stand guard, listening for even the barest sign of trouble.
"We can't stay here," Su-Hyeok says resolutely, eyes shifting around in the dark, surveying the surroundings.
"Cheong-San, come on, please. Let's not give up here," you implore, heart heavy as you see him hurting. For as long as you've known him, he's never broken down like this, always shouldering the burdens for others.
On-Jo is hanging onto his limp arm, tearful alongside him, even in the midst of her sympathetically heartening words. Despite your combined efforts however, Cheong-San remains blank, eyes having glossed over.
Su-Hyeok grabs him by the shoulders and shakes roughly, anticipating to get through by force where tough love doesn't. "Get yourself together!"
Nam-Ra whips her head to look at you, shaking it in dismay. "We're running out of time."
"Come with us," On-Jo prods gently, so soft that you might have missed it entirely if you weren't so close. "Come with me," she adds. "We'll leave and forget everything."
Su-Hyeok supports his left side while On-Jo takes his right hand tightly in hers, and sluggishly, he allows them to lift him up as they wish.
You see Nam-Ra swaying on her feet, hands to her head and you run over, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, sprinting alongside her as the two of you trail behind Su-Hyeok, Cheong-San, and On-Jo.
Cheong-San swivels his head around even as his feet move forward, staring back at his mom far ahead of the flock of creatures gaining on the group. "Eomma!" He screams the word with so much pain and love, but as you hear it, also with so much finality, for the very last time.
You don't notice the other half of the group in front if it wasn't for Dae-Su's booming voice rejoicing in everyone else's presence. "You're all here!" he exclaims in relief, before yelling back down, "Hurry!"
Your friends aren't the only ones having trouble trekking the steep hills, since as Wu-Jin trips on a tree root, so too, do the zombies below, collapsing onto one another.
"Get up!" Joon-Yeong urges his partner, adhering to the set pairings from earlier, extending a hand for assistance. "We've got to go."
You all finally make it past the school park, the vacant gazebo and deserted swing set looming in the desolate area. Not far from you, Hyo-Ryung takes a dive, appearing as though she twisted her ankle.
"Ji-Min," she calls out, fingers reaching for her friend. "Help me, please!"
Initially, Ji-Min endeavors to succor, but spotting a few zombies hauling themselves up untiringly, deserts Hyo-Ryung heartlessly and makes her own escape, veering left through the woods, creating a detour on her own accord.
"Nam-Ra, go on without me." You give her a boost over the curve of the last hill as she instantaneously clutches your arm, refusing.
"What are you risking?" Her eyes move back and forth between your own, apprehensive.
Lightly but firmly, you loosen her fingers from your forearm and retract your hand. "Nothing." You try to smile at her, but it comes out forced as you turn in the other direction toward Hyo-Ryung, not giving Nam-Ra another chance to stop you.
Nothing, I hope.
"Y/N!" Wu-Jin's voice is easily discernible but you disregard it, knowing no one would let you run off back into danger, and regardless of who it is, would persuade you to rethink your decision.
What's the point of seeing if it's only used to turn a blind eye?
By the time you reach the bottom of the hill where Hyo-Ryung wretchedly skirmishes to crawl out of the pit she fell into, two zombies are treacherously close—much too close for comfort.
"Hyo-Ryung, can you get up?" You crouch by her side and haul her to her feet, more than relieved she's still somewhat in running condition.
"You...came back?" She gazes at you shocked, and you can feel her quivering immensely where she's propped against your side.
"And she's not alone," Wu-Jin interjects as he sprints the rest of the distance, eyeing you in disbelief and a mix of something else you can't put your finger on. Terror? Worry? Regret?
Hearing a growl close by, you spin around in time to see a zombie face to face with you, reflexively shoving Hyo-Ryung out of the way. In haste, you kick its chest, but as it falls, it obstinately seizes your ankle, stubbornly wanting to drag you down with.
You're prepared to bash its head in when it rears up again, only to stop short when Wu-Jin bodychecks it down the slope. He stands in front of you protectively while Hyo-Ryung plasters herself to a large tree trunk, frightened out of her wits.
"You should take Hyo-Ryung and find the others," you express, gauging the number of zombies you see, and those you can't yet, veiled in the dark.
"Are you crazy?!" Wu-Jin rebukes. "I'm not abandoning you here."
Right after he finishes his sentence, two male zombies spring forward out of nowhere, splitting the two of you apart in opposite directions.
The one after you is much more aggressive than the previous, and you're left overwhelmed, evading it as best you can. For something so undead and rotten, it's much more intelligent than you give it credit for, effortlessly tracking your movements when you don't make any sounds.
On its last attempt to lunge at you, it abruptly flops facedown, unmoving, as blood squirts in an arc from its wounded head impaled by an arrow, painting the cold ground a darker shade. You glance to the side to see Wu-Jin unharmed as well, and let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.
Another figure approaches in the distance, a glint of metal reflecting moonlight as you squint your eyes against the pitch-black sky, aiming to get a better glimpse.
"Ha-Ri Unnie?"
"Noona!" Wu-Jin runs over to her without hesitation, frantically, gawking at her as though she was some kind of apparition, not quite believing they're both alive and well in the same place.
"You two, go!" she orders, raising her bow still, turning her body every direction with finger at the ready, sharp arrow held taut against the string.
"Noona," Wu-Jin repeats, "what are you doing here?"
"There's no time for questions! Listen to me and leave! We can talk later!"
"But what about you—" you begin, also stunned at the sudden entrance as you're cut off.
"That goes for you too, Y/N." Her eyes soften as she looks at you, jutting her head to indicate uphill.
"Kiddos, let's go. Less waddling, more running, will you? Be sure to thank me later," an unfamiliar short-haired girl with bangs briefs bluntly, taking you and Wu-Jin by the arms, Hyo-Ryung clinging onto your free one, and you can't even refute, grateful for the help in the end, no matter how unexpected.
Once you all catch up seeing the double glass doors of the gymnasium, the reprieve is short-lived when Nam-Ra stands distressingly stagnant, retreating with tiny steps backwards.
Paranoid, Joon-Yeong without fail questions the action, voice laced with trepidation. "What's wrong?"
"Run," is all Nam-Ra replies. "Run away!"
The next clap of thunder slanting off the polished wooden floors of the court reveals a whole room chock-full of lurking zombies, unmistakable under the fleeting flashes of light.
In bedlam, everyone flees for their lives, but there's not really anywhere to run to, except maybe back outside, but with the horde that were pursuing earlier, that's probably not the best option.
Even more unlikely, in a turn of events and the power of quick thinking, Ha-Ri throws open the athletic goods storage which was fortunately left unlocked by coaches now long gone.
"Over here!" she hollers, holding the door wide open for most of the group to file in, Dae-Su being the first to scurry through, taking Hyo-Ryung with him.
You and Su-Hyeok linger to fight off as many zombies as you can, or dodge them when it becomes too precarious, and watch despondently as one guy from Ha-Ri's group, also her teammate, winds up locking himself out behind another set of glass doors to prevent zombies from coming after him. Though temporarily safe, he's also now sealed off from the rest with no way to come back in. As if conscious of his fate, he lowers his head before running away until you can't make out his form any longer.
When too many creatures are starting to swarm, Su-Hyeok grasps your hand and pulls you in where the rest are, the two of you peering around the door as you keep lookout.
"Have you gone mad, Mi-Jin?!"
"Shut the hell up, Joon-Seong!"
You eye the makeshift stretcher, woefully knowing that both of them won't be able to make it out unscathed at the rate they're going.
Twisting and turning, Joon-Seong removes the safety strap across his chest willingly, gravity rolling his body off and down to the ground with a thump. Mi-Jin doesn't even realize the load has lessened until Ha-Ri races back out to drag her backward as she flounders and screams.
"Noona!" Another body blazes past you, and you see Wu-Jin aiding his sister before the zombies come any closer than they already have.
"No! Joon-Seong!" Mi-Jin wails, fighting to detach herself from their hold. "Fuck off, assholes! Let me go rescue him!"
"GO!" Joon-Seong bellows, unwaveringly keeping any oncoming zombies near him, accepting their fatal bites in order to buy everyone else more time than actually needed, inciting them to attack him and only him heroically.
You squeeze your eyes shut as his screams pierce through the growls and gnawing, Su-Hyeok blocking your sight with his body as he slams the door shut after Ha-Ri and Wu-Jin wrench an inconsolable Mi-Jin into the middle of the storage room.
"Fuck you, all! I could've saved him!" It's still heartbreaking to see a sacrifice, no matter how many times it has happened over the course of this misfortune. "Why did he have to be the one to save me?" Ha-Ri wraps her arms around Mi-Jin, who doesn't contest this time, crying into her friend's shoulder.
Wu-Jin looks at the two older girls before he too, plops to the ground in shock, his sister reaching over to pat his hand reassuringly, staying strong for two people at once, a feat only Ha-Ri is capable of.
The silence is deafening, even more so when you lean your head against the door, comparing it to the incessant snarls and bottomless pit of hunger on the other side, like heaven and hell. Beside you, Su-Hyeok's hand clutches the cold metal handle so hard his fingers turn white.
Around you, everyone is motionless, scattered around the room, the run in with literal death visibly taking a toll mentally and physically.
Dae-Su's the first to break the silence as he pads over to where Cheong-San is bent in half, hands on his knees and breathing heavily, ignoring all presences, including On-Jo's next to him.
"I'm truly sorry," Dae-Su starts. "If I had known that was your mom..." he trails off, sniffling in the middle of his broken apology. "I don't know what else to say as nothing will make it better, but still, I mean every word I say."
No longer angry, Cheong-San is purely broken, crumpling to the floor in a heap as he sobs noiselessly, which is much more agonizing than a loud cry, for he's actively suppressing it and his feelings. On-Jo kneels down beside him and lets Cheong-San fall into her embrace, resting his head on her shoulder as tears stream down his face endlessly. No words are exchanged, but empathically, On-Jo sheds her own tears as she squeezes her arms around him, patting his shoulder soothingly.
You watch jadedly, hopelessly, as the room now seems much too small to store this many innocent hearts; the hush too suffocating to fill the empty void, and the living too less to compensate for lost loved ones.
»»————-————-««
You're suspended on the threshold of subconsciousness and consciousness, lingering on the line that separates dream and reality until the loll of your head drops your chin down to your chest and you're forced to come back to the present.
As your eyes refocus, extricating yourself from the caress of sleep that miraculously enveloped you, you realize you had drifted off while sitting up, propped against a tall cabinet.
Not being able to feel or move your covered legs, you look down to find Su-Hyeok comfortably having occupied them as a pillow, laying on top of his own blazer. Your hand has gone numb in his snug clasp, not willing to let go even as he slumbers.
Hyo-Ryung and Nam-Ra are laying below your feet in fetal position, curled in on themselves to keep from the previous night's draft, sharing a gym mat facing one another.
On the other side, Dae-Su is using Joon-Yeong as a human bolster, not minding the baseball bat gripped tightly in his friend's hands one bit, the two huddled around it while Mi-Jin and Ha-Ri sleep soundly a foot away with Wu-Jin not having left his sister's side the entire night.
You grimace as you try to shift into a better position, but the tingles traveling up your extremities from longtime lack of movement prevents you from doing so. When Su-Hyeok stirs, turning toward you, you give up trying to extract yourself off the floor.
In the reticent room, it's hard to miss the low chuckle coming from your right. Glancing over, you hadn't realized that Cheong-San was also awake, perhaps even before you were.
He points a finger to his shoulder where On-Jo's head is nestled stably into the crook of it, dead to the world. "I can't move either." You stare at him, surveying quietly without responding, evaluating how much last night affected him. He tilts his head at you, cognizant of the thoughtful look on your face. "Are you okay?"
"Shouldn't that be my line?" Cheong-San blinks slowly at you, but the neutral expression on his face doesn't change. "I don't remember the last time we stopped to ask one another how we were doing. Even if it's only a fraction, and even if it's nothing more than a façade, how are you holding up?"
Cheong-San lowers his head, playing with his hands, the meaning behind your words enough, no need for the details; it'd only hurt more anyway. "I'm working on it."
Your sigh draws his attention again, and you shake your head. "You don't have to work on it, Cheong-San. Take all the time you need. I'll be here if you ever want to talk it out."
He smiles candidly at you. "I know you will. You always have been."
"I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."
Cheong-San draws his face inward, mock blanching and you laugh, knowing he's just pulling your leg. "This is too sappy for me, go back to sleep." Much more affectionately, he intones, "It's early, you should get more rest."
You press your head back to the cabinet again, looking at him even as your eyelids slowly begin to droop, the pull of quietness a conduit for sleep. "And you?"
"I'll still be here when you wake up."
"Promise?"
"I'll always be here for as long as you need me."
The lull of his new conversation with On-Jo surrenders you to slumber quicker than you thought possible, their voices listlessly jumbling together before silencing to nothing.
"Were you talking to yourself?" On-Jo rubs at her bleary eyes, muddled as she raises her head.
"Yeah, you've been hibernating so I had to keep myself company." Cheong-San grins at her before she shoves him the other way, not having enough strength to topple him over. "Just...I thought about it all night. What do I do now? How do I go on living?"
"How about we talk about all of this a little later? Tomorrow, or even the day after. There's next week too. Let's go someplace together, if you have a minute to spare after we get out of here, and we can talk about anything and everything okay? I know we have a lot to discuss, and it might be a simple thing, but I don't want to treat this like the end of everything. I want us to be able to dream of a better tomorrow, because I believe in us, and I'd like to believe that we still have a lot of time left together. So, why don't we go talk about it then?"
Cheong-San nods in confirmation. "I'll hold you to it."
"Whatever happens, don't you ever give up, okay?"
"Okay."
"I mean it, Cheong-San. Never give up."
"Mm, you too."
"I won't give up either. As long as I have you, how can I?"
*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ
[ End Note ]
This is Part 1 and the next chapter will be Part 2 because there's too much content and personal changes on my end to combine them! I figured too long of a read would be boring, so a two-parter it is.
Until the next chapter, don't be a silent reader! Comments and votes are always appreciated! ♡
*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ